Reincarnation
an article by
Shadow
Does it really matter to you?
(The whispered words came to me through the trees as I sat meditating. I had
mentally gone to a familiar grove to ponder my beliefs in reincarnation. Now it
seems I was not alone.)
Does what really matter? I asked
What the truth is about reincarnation.
The truth doesn't really matter as much as what I truly believe. After
all, I cannot find out what the truth is until I die.
An interesting perspective
(there was a long pause)
How can I address you, what is your name?
(another pause and a little chuckle)
You may call me Jessie
What is your opinion then, Jessie?
I know the truth, so I do not need to question.
Are you a spirit that has passed over?
No.
Then how is it that you know the truth?
We were talking about your beliefs, were we not? Tell me what truths you
hold.
I believe that the spirit or soul is eternal. It is a small part of the
"Divine Ones" and it is not destroyed when the body dies. It is
released to another plane of existence. In this other plane, a spirit is
renewed, and can review what it has learned in it's last lifetime. The spirit is
not bound by time or space and can sometimes watch over those who are still on
the Earthly plane. After a while, the spirit decides where it will be reborn,
and what lessons can be learned during the next lifetime. This rebirth is
usually with other spirits that are known and loved. But I don't believe each
life is totally predestined. It may have a recurring theme or it may keep coming
into a similar situation, but not all is planned.
You'll need to explain that a little
It's rather like a tree. You plant an Oak tree and you know you'll get an
oak tree, but you don't know where each branch will grow or how many leaves it
will have, or how tall it will be. You only know that it will be an oak tree.
An interesting perspective.
You already said that.
Go on, why do you hold this as truth?
I find examples in nature itself. For millions of years things have been
evolving on the Earth. I think reincarnation is the evolution of the spirit.
There is a saying, "as above, so below," and this is where I take the
example from.
You don't believe in Heaven and Hell, then?
No, I objected to it when I was a kid in Christian Sunday school. How can
you worship a "God of Love" and say we are all His children, then turn
around and say that most of the world's population is going to burn forever.
This isn't the kind of love I wanted, or the God I knew.
What about Heaven?
Well, I think the place where souls rest between incarnations is like
summerland, or heaven. It is a beautiful garden that offers rest and refreshment
to the spirit. There you can commune with the Goddess and the God and be safe
from troubles for a while. But I don't think you could all of a sudden get lazy
and spend eternity just sitting around playing harps or something.
Just where do you spend eternity then?
In many places. First you need to go through the cycles of birth, life,
death, and rebirth. once you have evolved into a wonderful, enlightened soul,
you could go on to other exciting things. The Goddess loves variety, so who
knows what She will have in mind. I'm just sure it will be fantastic.
So once you become "Wonder Spirit", you go to another plane of
existence?
Wonder Spirit, that's good.
I don't know what happens after you don't need to go through the cycles anymore.
I will just need to trust in the Goddess.
Perhaps you can become a teacher for a while and help other souls.
I suppose so, are you a teacher?
Tell me more about your beliefs.
I've read about the beliefs of other religions and some of it I can
accept, but a lot of it I can't.
Go on.
Well, take the Buddists for example. I don't know very much about them,
but they seem to want to go through various lives of suffering until they reach
a state called Nirvana where they don't suffer any more. Life may not
always be enjoyable, but I don't think it could be all suffering. I like
to find the joys of life. They also do not seem to revere any deity. From what I
gather, they believe in a Universal Consciousness which seems to absorb the
righteous spirit when it isn't suffering anymore.
You are right, you don't know much about it.
I do accept the concept of Karma though, the theory of cause and effect.
Yes, I know about karma.
I also like their beliefs in the Eight Paths. The right view, the right
thought, the right speech, the right action, the right livelihood, the right
effort, the right mindfulness, and the right concentration. These seem to be
good focus for trying to improve yourself.
Go on, what about the Hindu beliefs.
They too seem to desire to get to a state where you don't have any
earthly desires. They have 4 stages of life called Ashramas. The Student,
the House Holder, the Forest Dweller, and the Life of Reincarnation. The last
stage is where you renounce all earthly desires and try to live spiritually on
Earth. It seems to me to put the cart before the horse. They do believe that the
spirit remains individual in each lifetime, though. Not like the Buddhists. That
sort of agrees with my views. Also, they believe in Karma.
What of the Christians. You were once a Christian, were you not?
Yes, I was, how did you know that?
You said you went to Christian Sunday school.
Oh yeah. Anyway, many Christians really do believe in reincarnation, even
thought their church tells them it is a sin. In fact, I read that it was a
popular belief among the early Christians until the Church decided it was
heresy. I think that was back in 553. Many Jewish people believed in
reincarnation too. Some still do. I read that many Jews were very especially
upset about the holocaust, because they believed that you return to those you
love and when whole villages or towns were wiped out, there was a difficulty on
where the spirits could return to. It is very sad.
What about animals, do you believe they have souls?
I believe they have souls but I don't know if I believe they will evolve
to become humans. They seem to have a kind of perfection already. This is true
of dogs, cats, and any other animal that has conscious thought and can make
decisions outside of their instincts. There is already a purity of spirit about
them, so why would they "come down" to a human level. I just don't
know. It doesn't seem like it is right to me, but I don't dismiss the idea
altogether.
Do you follow a certain religious belief then?
Yes, I am Wiccan. Their views on many things are varied, yet generally
similar. Each person is taught to find their own path. What religion do you
follow?
Thought you could just sneak that one in, did you?
Well, tell me a little about you. Who are you? What are you, Jessie? If
you know about reincarnation, have I been right in any of my views?
I will tell you that I am a teacher.
What do you teach?
Things like caring for others more than you care for yourself, like
finding your inner strength, like the joys in living every day and finding
happiness sharing your day. Many things.
Who have you been teaching? How have you been teaching? Are you a ghost?
(I heard a kind of choking sound and realized Jessie was laughing)
No, I am not a ghost. At this moment I have a human body, but it is dying. I
have heard the voices say I am in a coma.
Yet, your spirit is here on this plane, with me, while I meditate?
Yes, my soul is unlocking from my physical body and the gnomes are
gathering.
What? I'm not sure I understand.
When I was born, my soul came into my physical body and began to lock
into it. Like threads, my spirit joined with the body, into its very fibers. My
spirit memories diminished and the gnomes danced with joy because another soul
descended into the earthly plane. Now, my spirit is unlocking, and the gnomes
are preparing to change my soulless body into that of the earth.
Oh.
Do not be sad for me, little one, I have done all I intended to do when I
came. This brings me joy.
How can you know that? Is your spirit very old?
As my spirit unlocks, the memories return. I have been dying slowly, so
they return slowly, and yes I guess you could say I am an old spirit.
Since you have your memories, can you tell me if I've been right about
anything?
I will say this to you: two of your statements were complete truths. The
others I will not comment upon. First you said, "the truth doesn't matter
as much as what I truly believe" This is a profound statement. For it is
your beliefs that drive your actions. It is what you will aspire to. It is what
will guide your life. The second is that you you follow your own path. This is a
good thing, so try to be tolerant of others and their beliefs. It is our
conduct-not our creed that is the way of true spiritual progress. The path can
be guided by many, but ultimately it must be walked alone.
Can you tell me anything else before you go?
Only this: Love comes from the sacred well of the Goddess. When your
actions are done "with" this love, you can give it freely to anyone or
anything, because it doesn't require anything from them in return. The return is
karmic, bountiful, and of the Goddess. So give freely, as it is given to you. I
must go now.
Goodbye, Jessie, and thank you.
Farewell.
(the word faded away and I sat in the grove for a moment trying to take in
all that we had spoken about. I finally returned and grounded myself back into
the physical. I was touched by this incredible experience. The following
morning, the whole event came back in a flash, when I accidentally found the
notice in the newspaper.)
JESSIE, SON
OF PETER AND JENNIFER DIED YESTERDAY AFTER A LONG STRUGGLE WITH CANCER. HE WAS
SIX YEARS OLD.
Farewell Jessie, 'til we meet again.